How many people do you think you have met in your lifetime?

[All Along The Watchtower]

I would guess several thousand, though I have no clue really.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Over a 1000, but not even close to 2000. 1400ish perhaps?

[Mr. Morden]

Define "met".

[tpfkaw]

My personal pet peeve is when some random acquaintance of my parents whom I last met when my age was in the single digits says "remember me!" and then gets all offended-looking when I don't.  I don't have to meet random acquaintances of my parents quite as much anymore, but still occurs sometimes.

As for number of people ... neighbors, friends, family of friends, family's friends, family's friends' families, elementary/high/middle school classmates, college classmates, random people I've struck up a conversation with...  probably around 5000 or so, as a guesstimate, with the number I remember being maybe 2500 or so.  The number whom I could recognize by face is maybe a few hundred to a thousand, which makes me not a natural politician (Bill Clinton is famously able to recognize anyone he's ever met).

[Хahar 🤔]

The worst thing is when some distant relative calls and asks if I can recognize their voice. Just tell me who you are and skip the trouble.

[dead0man]

Depends on how you define "meet"....but a lot.  Many many thousand.  But I'm an old.

[Psychic Octopus]

Interesting prompt. I'd probably have to think about this for quite a while in order to find a reasonable estimate.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     As in just passed on the street? Probably ~100,000. As in actually spoken to? Probably ~500.

[Platypus]

#1 is necessary, and one of the next two, to qualify:

1. Have communicated

2. Have seen in the flesh
3. Know their name


Going by that, I'd guess somewhere in the vicinity of 8-12,000.

[muon2]

#1 is necessary, and one of the next two, to qualify:

1. Have communicated

2. Have seen in the flesh
3. Know their name


Going by that, I'd guess somewhere in the vicinity of 8-12,000.

Must it be two-way communication? For instance, giving a lecture in a university auditorium is communication for both the lecturer and listener and they see each other in the flesh. In this example, the listener would count one additional person, but the speaker would count the number in the hall.

[Platypus]

I think it must be at least involving you communicating and them acknowledging the communication, but ideally two-way.

[politicus]

77 637

[Grumpier Than Thou]

1,692.

[angus]

Met several people today.  They guy who sold me a pizza.  The woman, born in 1929, who wrecked into me on the way home.  The daughter of the woman who wrecked into me on the way home.  The policeman who showed up to investigate after the woman wrecked into me on the way home from picking up my pizza.  The couple who was standing nearby and gave me their card who said that they'd witness it for me.  I'm sure I'll meet several other people over the next few days as well.  Maybe the insurance agent who'll explain to me how little money they'll give me even though (1) I pay for the premium insurance and (2) it was the 1929 woman who got the ticket for running into me.  Maybe the guy who ends up towing my car to the shop.  Maybe the owner of the shop.  Maybe a worker at the shop who'll tell me that it'll never be as good as new even after he repairs it.  Maybe the guy who sells me a new car if the body shop decides it's totaled and that the insurance company should give me a check for maybe 75% of what I could get for the car in better times.  If I'm lucky.

It'll be a week of meeting lots of new people, I expect.  Hopefully and thankfully, at least it won't involve meeting with any physicians.  The boy was wearing his seatbelt and so was I.

[muon2]

After meeting dozens of new people almost every day for the last week, I'm pleased to say I met no one new except for the host and waiter at the restaurant and the ticket attendant at the the movies.

So on to the estimate. These days I estimate I meet about a 100 new people a week during the first half of the year and about half that number a week for the rest of the year. That's about 4000 a year at my current level of activity which has been the last six years. The six years before that I was probably at nearly that number and the decade before that half again as many. Between classmates, conferences and extra-curricular activities, 1000 people a year was probably about right for high school through graduate school. Prior to that the number would have been substantially less, but I moved frequently during my first 10 years so the number was probably above average. I'm guessing that I'm at about 100 K in round numbers.

[Mr. Morden]

As in actually spoken to? Probably ~500.

I highly doubt you've only spoken to ~500 people in your life, unless you live a very sheltered life.  I mean, think about how many people one must exchange only a few words with and never meet again, like the checkout person at some store you buy something at (though I guess that's becoming more automated these days).

[muon2]

As in actually spoken to? Probably ~500.

I highly doubt you've only spoken to ~500 people in your life, unless you live a very sheltered life.  I mean, think about how many people one must exchange only a few words with and never meet again, like the checkout person at some store you buy something at (though I guess that's becoming more automated these days).

Morden is right. It's not hard to meet three new people a day by the above definition. A key is that names not be known, just some form of communication between you. Just yesterday I only left home once to eat out and see a movie, yet that generated three new meets. Most retail purchases will involve a meet, and for me most are new.

At three a day, you get about 1000 a year. For PiT, it's a perfect example of a Fermi problem.

[angus]

Met another few people today.  It took them a while, but the insurance company from the 1929 woman is going to pay for everything so today I met the service consultant from the local Volkswagen dealership as well as a claims adjustor from the 1929 woman's insurance company.  Also, later today I'll meet a driver who will come over to pick me up and take me to Enterprise car rental.  They're providing me a car while mine is in the shop.  I hope it's not something too cheesy like a Yaris.  I guess I'll also meet the desk agent when I get there, so that makes four today. 

[angus]

Well, now it seems that they're going to buy my car, as it were.  Apparently it will cost more to repair it than it would to give me a check for the blue book value, so today I returned the rental car to Enterprise (and met another guy in the process.  Probably met a few others as well, since we went to the VW dealership to get my belongings out of my car, and we some stores and ate lunch at a pseudo-Japanese buffet as well.)  Some other agent will contact me Monday with the arrangements, and I'll meet at least one other person.  I'm hoping he'll tell me it's still worth about half what it was when it was new.  I gather that this is not a negotiable point.  They have some table that tells them what it's worth and that's what I'll get, but if it's at least half what it was when it was new, I'll be happy.  I think the way it works is that I agree to relinquish the title and the car, and they agree to give me a check and be done with it.  To be honest, at this point I'd rather have the money than the repaired car.  Some old lady wrecking into you is like that rare situation when you get to sell your car without even trying.  I call that serendipity.

[angus]

Dude, they're gonna give me more than I paid for it!

Sent 'em a voided check, along with all the keys, a signed title, and some documents overnight via UPS today.  Who cares if I meet anyone else.  With Electronic Funds Transfer, we don't really need to actually meet people, do we?  Wooooooooooot!